The present invention relates generally to housing or mounting assemblies for electronic systems or devices and, more particularly, to housing assemblies having movable bezels.
Modern network systems include many network components that are linked together to exchange data. One type of network component is commonly known as a server. A typical server includes at least one information storage device such as a hard disk drive. The information storage device of a server typically stores information such as the pages for an Internet web site.
An Internet Service Provider (ISP) will typically maintain several server units in a particular location. The server units are typically mounted on server racks that hold many servers stacked vertically. One type of server rack that is commonly used to accommodate server units that are approximately 19 inches wide is referred to as a xe2x80x9c19-inchxe2x80x9d rack. An ISP typically maintains servers for many different customers. These customers either own one or more server units or lease storage space or bandwidth from the ISP.
Servers can be manufactured according to standardized dimensions. A server manufactured to the standard form factor known as 1U will have a height of 1.75 inches. Likewise, a 2U server will have a height of 3.5 inches. Because physical space to store the servers is a cost to the ISP, the trend is to manufacture servers that are increasingly smaller in size (or the same size) yet have the same or more information storage capacity and bandwidth.
A typical server includes a main chassis that holds a motherboard and at least one information storage device. In some servers, the information storage device will be accessible or removable through the front face or panel of the server housing. Thus, a particular information storage device can be removed and replaced in the event of a failure or an upgrade.
Typically, servers having removable information storage devices include some type of latching or locking mechanism to secure the information storage device within the housing of the server. Typical locking mechanisms include key locks, mechanical detents, push, pull, and other style latches.
Some servers include a cover plate that is attached to the front face of the server body to cover the electronics and the information storage device in the server. As a security feature, some types of servers include cover plates that have locks. Such locks can prevent improper or inadvertent access to a server. Security is a great concern in ISP data centers where multiple customers share the same physical rack or location for their servers. To deter tampering and sabotage, electronics designers have implemented various types of locks to provide security for such products.
One type of cover plate that can be used on a server is a removable cover plate that is held to the server body with friction snaps. The removable cover plates, however, are not xe2x80x9cactive,xe2x80x9d i.e., do not include information input or output mechanisms such as indicators or ports because it is difficult or cumbersome to have a connection between the input or output mechanisms of the cover plate and the server electronics.
Another type of cover plate is similar to a door attached to the server body by a hinge or a complicated multi-link mechanism. Some of these types of mechanisms allow the door to swing out and down at the same time. A hinged or multi-link cover plate may not be able to be fully opened in the event that the server is mounted above or below another server, another component, or a shelf that may interfere with the opening of the cover plate. Some server housing designs are simply increased in height to accommodate a hinge or link mechanism or to provide clearance for opening the cover plate. Also, a typical server rack is over 6 feet tall. The servers mounted at the upper portion of the rack are typically above eye level for the average person. A server with a cover plate that is hinged along its bottom horizontal edge, for example, and is pivoted down when opened can be very inconvenient for an average person to access the information storage units when such a server is mounted above eye level.
In one embodiment of the invention, a server housing assembly includes a main chassis and a bezel assembly. The bezel assembly includes a bezel chassis slidably received by the main chassis such that the bezel assembly is slidable between an inward position and an outward position with respect to the main chassis. The bezel assembly further includes a bezel pivotally coupled to the bezel chassis to be pivotable between an upper position and a lower position with respect to the main chassis.
In one embodiment, the main chassis includes main electronic components, and the bezel assembly includes bezel electronic components electrically coupleable or coupled to the main electronic components. The bezel assembly is operatively associated with the main chassis such that the bezel electronic components, when electrically coupled to the main electronic components, remain coupled when the bezel assembly is in the inward position or the outward position or any position therebetween, and the bezel is in the upper position or the lower position or any position therebetween.